Collaborating to make greater impact

- One of my favorite things about lifeis there are billions of us, all having uniqueexperiences every moment of the day,yet we share so many similarities.As human beings, we were created to be in relationships.No matter who you are, what your background holdsor your personality, you desire communityand collaboration at some level.Learning from others' successes, failures,and ways of seeing the world is incredibly powerful.In professional communities this process of growingand learning together can be even more transformative.

There was a definite learning curvewhen I first joined forces with other professionals.As any creative will tell you, collaboration is very mucha part of the process of the design industry.We work with copy writers, illustrators, photographers,and other experts, depending on what the job requires.Over time, what allows you to enjoyyour work more is doing it better,challenging your status quo, innovating,learning new perspectives, and being invigoratedwith new processes or creative thought.This stretching is difficult to come by on your own.

Collaboration is a powerful and effective toolto take your work to a new level.Here are key things to keep in mindwhen collaborating with other professionals.Have clear goals and expectations.You need to make sure everyoneis on the same page right from the start.Several years ago we pitched one of our clientsthe concept of making a documentary to highlightthe work that we were doing in Africa.I thought this would be a perfect project to collaboratewith some other professionals I had always wantedto work with, from an illustration,music, and editing perspective.This project was outside of our client's budgetfor the year, so my invitation was straightforward.

Would you collaborate with me doingwhat you do best for a great cause?Amazingly, everyone I asked said yes.The key reason they said yes is that I clearlyoutlined the reason for the documentary,what I needed for them to providein terms of their ideas and participation, and painteda picture of the experience we were about to have.It's important to begin the relationshipwith full transparency and respect.No one likes to be told one thing and realize laterthat more is required, or have the feeling of being misled.Take it seriously.

If the collaboration is not treatedlike real work, whether it's paid or not,the result will be less than it could be.This particular project had some big challenges.The whole team needed to go to Africa,with its sobering realities attached.Taking this particular project seriouslywas easier than most, but we had worked on other projectsthat were more more for fun and self promotional,and they all knew they went sideways.Why was that?Because we failed to outline the goalsand expectations well enough at the beginning.Our attitude was too laid back, and the results showed that.

Trust, you're working with these new friendsbecause they are great at what they do.Let them do their thing.Throughout the entire Africa project, I was a sponge.I asked questions, I contributed my thoughts,and I was open to others' insights and perspectives.When we were trying to figure out what music to use,I had different thoughts than the editor.But once I gave him some tone concerns,he did his thing and came up with an evenbetter solution that worked perfectly.Same thing happened when I was workingon the credits with the illustrator.I wasn't sure about some of his styling ideasbut when we talked about how they could buildand lead in and out of the documentary,we arrived at the perfect solution.

None of these successes would have been achievedif I didn't get out of the way and trust my collaborators.Commit to this effort.It's not always easy, but be committed to the process.In the end, the project turned outbetter than I could have imagined.I made some great new connections and was able to workwith individuals I had admired from afar.And the best part, of course, was that the resulthelped my client be successful,and I learned some valuable lessons in the process.Even though there were some bumps along the way,I knew I liked working this wayand I was determined to design a wayto do more projects like this, and since then,the best projects have been the oneswhere we follow these steps and commit to the process.

Doing so makes communication, expectations,and timing work so well.Let the results inspire you.Keep raising the bar for your future collaborative work.I'm good at some things, and I'm not so good at others.But the world is filled with crazytalented people who are, so imagine yourselfcollaborating with those peopleand see how much better your project can be.The end result will be better for you,your collaborators, and most importantly, your clients.Learn from the experience.

Apply what you've learned to future collaborations.Since that first project, I've collaboratedin varying ways on hundreds of projects.I've worked with others in my fieldon paid assignments, and we've worked gratisfor causes that we felt passionate about.Cause collaboration is a key wayto partner with others you admire, especially if yourwork culture is resistant to this type of thing.But whether it's socially focused or not,let the others you are collaborating withinfluence what you see, work, and listen.No excuses, give this a shot.You'll be refreshed by the results, I promise.

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9/19/2016

Many of the mistakes business owners make arise from not understanding what they do well. This is true for any industry—including creative fields like graphic design. If you want to successfully grow and sustain your design business, there are some important questions to ask to identify your strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for expansion. For over 15 years now, Justin Ahrens has led Rule29, a design firm by recognized by AIGA, Communication Arts, HOW, and more. Here he shares stories and tips for determining what you do best, leaving the things that you don't do well to others, and finding areas to grow. The focus of his advice is on building culture, brand uniqueness, business acumen, and better processes. Plus, learn new ways to promote your business to potential clients and strategies to build your team.